Stolen Credit Cards do not Spell the End of your Life!
What is the first thing which comes to your mind when you hear of credit cards? Thanks to the credit cards— shopping safely has never been so easy before. Gone are the days when shoppers had to carry hefty amounts of cash around – fearing every moment that they will be robbed of their hard earned money while shopping. However, even the most scrupulous of shoppers out there would agree that they are highly apprehensive of the possibility of credit card thefts. Stolen credit cards are definitely a difficult reality to deal with. However, your life does not really end with one stolen credit card. Here is what you should do after your credit card has been stolen.
What should you do after your credit card is stolen?
Educate yourself
It is very important to educate yourself properly about credit card thefts—or for that matter, about what happens when these cards are stolen. First of all, know for a fact that the data obtained from stolen cards is distributed at a staggeringly speedy rate. According to a research, the data collected from a stolen card had actually reached 3 continents and 5 countries in just the first few days! The knowledge of this fact should make you doubly cautious about the safety of your credit cards. Here is what you can do after your card has been stolen.
Seek Help from Police
File a complaint with the police immediately after blocking your cards. The police would evidently ask you to narrate the entire sequence of the incidents in the run-up to the theft. The documentation of these sequences might make it easier for you to find the perpetrator.
Call your bank
This step should be followed with absolute immediacy— i.e. the moment when you find that your credit card has been stolen. If you have lost your wallet then make sure you are notifying your bank immediately about the same. You should change the PIN number of your card by getting in touch with your branch. The instant teller machine from the bank will help you with this. As soon as your bank receives notification of the theft they will cancel the stolen card and re-issue a new one.
Written Records are Important
It is very important to ensure that you are keeping the written records of communication with the bank, police and credit bureaus (after your credit card has been stolen). Everything including the date and time when you spoke to these bodies, the subject matter of your conversation and its context should all be documented properly.
Call up the credit bureaus
You should not forget to call up the major credit bureaus of America after and request a fraud alert to be placed on your profile. Also, do not forget to review your current credit report in order to make sure that there is room for no other credit card fraud in your report.
Conclusion
Hope you will be following the aforementioned steps in order to avoid further hassles after a credit card theft.
